Allen Wade maintains he did not kill East Liberty sisters Susan and Sarah Wolfe inside their Chislett Street home.

Wade appeared Thursday before Westmoreland County Judge Rita Hathaway on unrelated theft charges stemming from an August theft case in Cook Township, where Wade is accused of stealing a wedding ring from a woman who ordered appliances. Wade was the deliveryman assigned to drop off the refrigerator at her home.

While incarcerated on the theft charges, Wade met homicide suspect Lee Atwood, who is charged with killing George Williams outside a South Huntingdon Township home. State police said while Atwood and Wade were incarcerated at the Westmoreland County Prison, Atwood asked a fellow inmate to kill a witness to Williams' murder. District Attorney John Peck previously confirmed that inmate was Wade.

Wade instead took the proposition to state police, who charged Atwood in the murder-for-hire plot. In light of the new charges, assistant district attorneys and defense attorneys met with Hathaway on Oct. 2 to request Wade be released from jail so he wouldn't be harmed by other inmates for going forward to police in the Atwood case. Hathaway granted the request, at the urging of attorneys, she said in court Wednesday.

While Wade was out on bond awaiting trial on the theft charge, the Wolfe sisters were found dead inside their home. Pittsburgh police charged Wade after finding DNA evidence on his clothing and under one of the victim's fingernails. Police also obtained surveillance video of a man they say is Wade using the victims' debit cards.

At Wednesday's status conference, Hathaway revoked Wade's bond, which doesn't make a difference since Wade is being held without bond on the homicide charges. Public defender Wayne McGrew requested the theft case be placed on the trial list, although he did not rule out Wade entering a general guilty plea at a later date. Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said the DA's office would not be offering a plea deal in the theft case.

As he was being escorted out of the courthouse, Wade maintained his innocence in the homicide case to Pittsburgh's Action News 4 reporter Ashlie Hardway.

Hardway: Do you think you were framed?Wade: Absolutely. I know I was.Hardway: Who do you think was behind it?Wade: You'll have to talk to the Pittsburgh homicide detectives about that.

After the hearing, Wade was transported back to the Allegheny County Jail.